Typewriting machine



'Dec. 30, 1941. H. L. PITMAN TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed May 16, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTQR HENAVLP/TMAN ORNEY Dec. 30, 1941. H. 1.. PITMAN TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed May 16, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR HEN/W L. PUMA/V TTORNEY Dec. 30, 1941. PITMAN 2,267,947

TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed May 16, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR HfNRY L. P/TMAN A TORNEY Patented Dec, 30, 1941 'rrr twm'rmo MACHINE Henry L. Pitman, Hartford, Conn., assignor to Underwood Elliott Fisher Company, New York,

' N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application May, 16, l939, S erial No. 213,931

a 16 Claims'. This invention'relates to typewriting machines and more particularly to provision for actuating the tabulating devices by power so as to facili'-' tate materially the work of thetypist on the tabulating key or keys. 1

Power means are employed and are effective.

in response'to depression .of a tabulatingkey,

to move a tabulating stop to effective position and concomitantly to releasethe. carriage fora tabulating movement which is limited by the efiect-ively positioned stop.

[that is used for column tabulating. Arrange tabulating key may he therefore provided and it supplements the denominational tabulating key associated with the'denominational stop ment may be made whereby either the operation of said latter tabulati'ng key or of the column In the present instance, a letter-feed escape-' ment mechanism normally restrains the carriage, the latter being urged, as by a spring motor, to advance in letter-feed direction which is also the direction of the tabulating movements of the carriage. The release of the carriage may be,-

therefore, a release from the escapement mechanism for a resulting tabulating' movement of the carriage by such spring motor.

An object of the invention is to provide a structurally simple, inexpensive and reliably. operative organization whereby, in response to operation of a tabulating key, power means render the tabulating stop efiective and release the carriage.

The invention may be employed to tabulate denominationally by means of denominational tabulating stops and corresponding denominational tabulating keys. f o

The organization may be .arranged so that restoration of the actuated tabulating stop and restoration of the carriage to the control of the escapement mechanism are determined by release .35 the typists finger may keep the tabulating keyv of the depressed tabulating key. To this end tabulating key determines the power'a'ctuation of such one denominational stop and concomitant release of the carriage. The above mentioned manner of effecting restoration of the stop and restoration of the carriage to the control of the escapement result from release of the column tab'ulating key.

advantages will be apparent from the following description of a invention. Inthe accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective illustrating details of supporting means for a member of the-mecha- Figure 2 is a perspectiv illustrating structure whereby a column tabulating key may control one of the denominational stops.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional side view of mecha-z nism embodying the invention in a typewriter.

Figure 4 is a perspective of the mechanism v embodying the invention. Figure 5 is a plan view diagram of the tabulat ing key levers and tabulating stops. I Figure 6 is a cross sectional side elevation showing a tabulating key depressed and showing the consequent relative positions'of the parts bea fore the powerdrive functions;

depressed until the tabulating jump of the car'- riag is completed and thereuponrelease the key.

Inasmuch as the typist is thusoccupied in keeping the tabulating key depressed until the tabulating jump of the carriage is completed, it conduces to prevent the fault of operating the'type keys during tabulating movement of the carriage.

Another feature of the invention resides in mechanism-and-operation simplifying provision whereby restoration'of the tabulating stop and restoration 'of the carriage to control of the escapement mechanism are effected independently of the power drive. Thus the power drive is active mainly in response to depression of the. tabulating key and substantially does not function upon the release of the key.

The invention also deals with'provision wheree by one of the denominational stops may be used for ordinary column tabulating. A column Figure 7 is a side viewillustrating the functioning of the latching device for keeping a tabulating stop in effective position. e Figure {l is, a cross sectional ,side elevation showing the relative positions of the parts when the power drivehas functioned to project a tabulating stop and release the carriage.

Referring now'more particularly to the drawings, a typewriter-frame member l5 has suitably secured to the rear thereof. atabulator-stop magazine or frame Hi. This frame Himay be a casting to the top of which is secured a plate l l having a series of slots which slidably receive the upper ends of stop-blades or reeds IS. The blades I9 are guided intermediate their ends-by a pin 20/supported in opposite uprights of the frame [6 and passing through slots. 2| in the blades. This pin-and-slot connection serves to limit the upper and lower positions of the blades in-the frame IS. The lower ends of the blades l9 are disposed within slots 22 in the frame Hi The foregoing-and other objects, features and a preferred embodiment of the.

and are held in position therein over the rear ends 23 of levers 25 which have their forward ends 26 guided in a comb plate 21 which serves also as a limiting stop for downward movement of the forward ends of the key levers by their keys 28. v

Each of the blades I9 has a forwardly reaching arm 29 to which the upper end of a return spring 30 is attached. The lower ends of the springs 38 are attached to a cross bar 3| secured to the side uprights of the frame 16. Said springs 38 serve to hold the blades |9 normally depressed with the upper ends of their slots 2| abutting the pin 20. The key levers 25 tend to turn by gravity counter-clockwise about their fulcrum pin 32 to keep their rear ends 23 in abutment with the lower ends of the blades l9, the rear ends 23 of said levers being also guided in the slots 22 of the frame I6. The key lever fulcrum pin 32 may be supported at its opposite ends in a suitable part of the framework as at 33, Figure 5. The rear portions 23 of the key levers are substantially parallel. The forward portions 26 of the key levers diverge in varying degree in accordance with the lateral spacing of the row of denominational tabulating keys 28, as in Figure 5, it being noted that Figure shows only those key levers that are to the right of the center of the machine, the key levers to the left being similar and therefore not shown.

A carriage 35, Figure 3, mounts a revoluble platen 35 for type bars 31 and runs along a front rail, not shown, and a rear rail 38 on the typewriter framework which is further represented by fragmentary portions F. A spring motor 39 mounted on the framework urges the carriage leftward in letter feed and tabulating direction. A rack 40 on the carriage normally engages a pinion 4| having an escapement wheel 42 controlled by an escapement dog rocker 43 for letter feeding the carriage by the spring motor 39. The pinion 4| and its escapement wheel 42 are rotatably supported on the framework of the machine and the dog rocker 43 is rockably mounted on said framework. The feed-rack 40 has side arms 44 turnable about pivots 45 on the carriage. A lever 48 fulcrumed on the framework at 49 has a rack-engaging roller 50 and is operable, as will later appear, for lifting the feed rack 40 to disengage it from the pinion 4| to let the carriage be tabulated by the spring motor 39. A spring 5| yieldably holds the rack 48 in pinion-engaging position determined by a stop 52.

The carriage 35 has a tabulating rack 53 in which one or more column stops 54 are set as in Figure 3 so that their lower ends, and hence the carriage, are interceptable by any stop blade I9 that may be lifted to bring its upper end into the path of said stops 54.

A rock shaft 55 has a thickened middle portion journaled in ears 56 of the uprights of the tabulator stop frame l6. An angular plate secured to said shaft 55 by screws 51 forms a universal lifting bar 58 for the stop blades l9, each of the latter having a spur 59 engageable by said lifting bar 58. In the normal or unelevated position of any blade I9, Figure 3, its spur 59 is just below and thus clear of the arcuate path swept by the edge of the lifting bar 58. when the shaft 55 is rocked clockwise of Figure 3.

By depressing any one of the tabulating keys 28 its lever 25 is rocked counter-clockwise from the normal dotted line position to the combplate-stopped full line position, Figure 6, and

thus its rear portion 23 raises the corresponding stop-blade I9 sufliciently to bring its spur 59 into the path of the universal lifting bar 58 as in Figure 6, and thus effect selection of the stop-blade.

A power-controlling universal element in the form of a. plate 60 has a transverse bottom edge 6| universally engageable by the rear ends 23 of the key levers 25 so that operation of any key lever 25 to lift the corresponding stop-blade l9, as aforesaid, also lifts said plate 80. Opposite vertical edges 82 at the lower portion of the plate work slidably in guide grooves formed by two shouldered studs 63 and headed screws 64 removably threaded into said studs, the lat ter being attached to the front of the stop frame l6 as in Figure 1. For further slidable support of the plate 60, a side flange thereof extends upwardly and adjacent the outer side of the left upright of the stop frame l8 and an upper forked end 88 of said flange slidably embraces the left reduced end-portion of the rock shaft 55 and slidably fits between a shoulder 61 and an arm 68 on said rock shaft 55, as in Figure 4, v

A bracket 69 is fixed to the plate 68 and has pivoted thereto at 18 a depending elbow link H which is also pivotally connected at 12 to a transverse lever 13 fulcrumed at 14 on a bracket 15 secured to the framework. Said lever 13 is operatively articulated at 18, Figure 4, to a foreand-aft extending lever 11 fulcrumed on a stud 18 on the framework. A lateral tab 19 of said lever "underlies a heel 80 of a power actuatable draw link 8| pivoted at 82 to a lever 83 fulcrumed at 84 in the framework. A link 85 connects said lever 83 to an arm 88 fixed to a transverse rock shaft 81 journaled in brackets 88, Figure 3, on the framework, Another arm 89 of said rock shaft 81 is connected by a link 90 to an arm 9| fixed to the rock shaft 55 that carries the universal lifting bar 58.

It will be perceived now that the aforementioned lifting of the plate 80 by depression of any tabulating key 28 rocks the transverse lever 13 counter-clockwise of Figure 4 and thereby rocks the lever I1 clockwise so that the latter lifts the draw link 8| to bring a toothed pawl 92 on the latter into engagement, as in Figure 6, with a power driven snatch roll 93, journaled in the framework and rotating continuously in the direction of the arrow. The resulting rearward stroke of the draw link 8| operates through the lever 83, link 85, rock shaft 81 and link 90 to turn the rock shaft 55 clockwise from the Figure 8 position to the Figure 8 position. Said rock shaft 55 being thus turned, the edge of its blade lifting bar 58 sweeps under the spur 59 of the previously sufliciently elevated stop blade l9 and earns against said spur so as to fully raise the stop blade |9 to its position, Figure 8, for intercepting one or another of the carriage column stops 54.

The described power-actuated clockwise rocking of the shaft 55 also lifts the carriage feed rack 48 from the escapement pinion 4| in that an arm 94 fixed to said shaft 55 depresses the rear end 95 of the rack-lifting lever 48 to rock the latter clockwise.

The selected stop blade l9 having been lifted to effective position and the carriage having been concomitantly released from the escapement device by means of the rearward power- 93 by striking the rounded head of a knock-off screw 96 suitably fixed on the framework.

The typists finger keeps the key lever 25 in the full line operated position, Figure 8, and thus keeps the plate 60 lifted to render a latch device effective to maintain the rock shaft 55in the operated position, Figure 8, for sustaining the blade I9 in effective position and for keeping the feed rack 40 disengaged from the pinion II until the tabulating movement of the carriage by the spring motor 39 is completed. Said latch device comprises the arm 58 fixed to the rock shaft 55 and carrying a downwardly-springpressed latch plate 98. Said latchv plate 98 is attached to said arm 68 by two pin-and slot connections 99 so as to be slidable vertically on said arm. The latch plate 98 is thus resiliently yieldable relatively to a latch stud I on the lifted plate 50 so as topass over, and finally snap downwardly into interlock with 'said stud as in Figures 7 and 8, when the shaft 55 and its arm 68 and latch plate 98 become rocked clockwise to the Figure 8 position. This blade-lift and carriage-release sustaining interlock is maintained as long as the typistkeeps the key lever 25 in the Figure 8 operated position, that is, until the lifted stop blade I9 intercepts one or another of the column stops 54 on the carriage.

As soon as the carriage is thus intercepted, the typist releases the operated lever 25. This permits the plate 60 to drop by gravity or under the urge of a spring IOI which may be anchored to the bar 3|, thereby to withdraw the latch stud I00 downwardly from the latch plate 98 to release the rockshaft 55 for counter-clockwise restoration from the Figure 8 to the Figure 3 position. This counter-clockwise restoration of the shaft 55 may be effected by means of a spring I02 anchored to ,a framework cross bar I03 and attached to the draw link 8| to draw the latter forwardly back to its Figure 3 normal position. This restoration of the rock shaft 55 withdraws the lifting bar from and thereby releases the ele-' vated blade I9 so that the latter drops back to normal position under the urge of its spring 30. This restoration of the rock shaft 55' also releases the rack lifting lever '48 to permit the. carriage rack 40 to drop into re-engagement with the escapement pinion 4| to check the carriage as the blade I9 drops to relinquish its control of the carriage.

Said spring I02 is biased to tend to turn the draw link BI clockwise about its pivot 92 and thereby tend to keep it'restingnormally upon a cross bar I04 of the framework. At its forwardly extending arm I05, the draw link BI is guided in a guide slot of a plate I05 on the framework.

An electric motor and driving connections therefrom to the snatch roll 93 for power driving the latter continuously may be suitably provided. in the machine in various ways and the motor and connections are therefore not shown.

Column-tabulating may be practiced by uniformly using a particular one of the stop blades I9 and providing therefor in addition to its denominational key lever 25, 28 a supplemental 'or' column-tabulating key lever I08 as in Figure 5. This column-tabulating key lever I08 may be generally similar to the other key levers 25 and may be fulcrumed on the pin 32 and disposed to one side of the set of denominational key levers 25 so that its key I09 is in a prominently accessible position offset from the other keys, Figure 5.

In Figure 2, I9 represents the stop blade employed for column tabulating and this blade has mechanism including, in combination, a tabulatthe features of the other blades I9 including the I lever I08, the latter having a rear portion II'l' underlying said tab. It will be apparent now that the intermediate plate serves to operatively connect the'column tabulating key lever I08 to the blade I9 irrespective of the lateral position of the latter so that any one of the denominational positions encompassed by the set of blades I9 may be used for disposing or placing the column tabulating blade I 9 The operation of the parts for column tabulating is as follows. Depression of the column tabulating key I09 rocks its lever I08 so that the rear portion-Ill of the lever, by engaging the 5 tab II6 of the intermediate plate III, lifts said plate to lift the blade I9 merely sufficiently to bring its spur 59 into the path of the blade lifting bar 59. Said rear portion II'I of the thus operated key lever I08 also engages and lifts the plate 60 to effect connection of the draw link 8I to the snatch roll 93 for resultant clockwise power actuation of the rock. shaft 55 and its blade-lifting bar 58 to lift the column tabulating blade I9 fully into position to intercept, one of the column stops 54 on the carriage. At the same time, the feed rack 40 is lifted clear of its pinion 4| to effect the necessary release of the carriage. The column tabulating key I09 is kept depressed to keep the latch device 98, I00 effective to maintain the rock shaft 55 in operated stored. The spring 30 acting on the blade I9;

cooperates to restore the plate III to its normal position. The restoration of the shaft 55 by means of the draw link spring I02 following release of the depressed column tabulating key I09 is effected in the same manner as described above with reference to operation of any of the denom- I inational keys 28. Y

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

What is claimed is:

1. In a typewriting machine; a tabulating ing carriage, a stop movable from a'normal carriage-clearing position to a carriage-intercepting position, a mover actuatable in a path for moving said stop, said stop having a spur normally out of the mover path, a key operatively connected to said stop to move the latter to bring the spur into said mover path, power-operable mechanism responsive to said key to actuate said mover to engage said spur and thereby move said stop to carriage-intercepting position, and carriage-driving means rendered effective, concomcarriage to said stop.

2. In a typewriting machine; a tabulating mechanism including, in combination, a tabulating carriage, a series of denominational stops selectively movable from a carriage-clearing position to a carriage-intercepting position, a universal mover actuatable in a path for moving said stops, each stop having a spur normally out of the mover path, a series of denominational keys each operatively connected to a corresponding stop to move the latter to bring its spur into the mover path, power operable mechanism responsive to any key to actuate said mover to engage said spur and thereby move the stop to carriage-intercepting position, and carriage-driving means rendered effective, concomitantly with operation of any key, to move the carriage to said stop.

3. In a typewriting machine having a carriage; a tabulating mechanism therefor including, in combination, a series of denominational tabulating stops, keys corresponding to said stops, a power operable driver, motion transmitting means connectible, in response to movement of any key to an operated position, to the corresponding stop and to said driver whereby the latter moves said stop from a carriage-clearing position to a carriage-intercepting position, means automatically disconnecting the motion-transmitting means from said driver, said motiontransmitting means and said stop tending to return to normal positions, and a latch device universally controlled by any key to maintain the motion-transmitting means, together with said stop, in operated positions so long as said key is held in its operated position and to release said motion-transmitting means and said stop for return to normal positions concomitantly with restoration of the key.

4. A tabulating stop mechanism for a typing machine carriage including, in combination, a carriage-intercepting stop having a spur engageable to move said stop from a normal carriageclearing position to a carriage-intercepting position, a mover power-operable in a path to move said stop by means of said spur, said spur in the normal position of said stop being out of said mover path,'and a key operable to displace said stop to bring its spur into the path of said mover.

5. A carriage-tabulating mechanism including, in combination, a series of denominational tabulating stops, a universal stop mover rockable about an axis so that an edge of said mover describes a path, each stop having a spur and being normally positioned with said spur out of said path, stop-selecting keys each movable to an operated position to move a corresponding stop to bring its spur into said path, and power operable means cooperating to actuate said stop mover to engage the spur of any key-moved stop and move the latter to carriage-intercepting position.

6. A tabulating mechanism for a typing machine carriage including, in combination, a series of denominational carriage-intercepting stop blades, a universal stop mover rockable about an axis so that an edge of said mover describes a path, each stop blade having a spur and being normally positioned with said spur out of said path, stop-selecting key levers, each rockable to an operated position to move, and thereby select, the corresponding stop to bring its spur into said path, a power operable snatch roll, a universal member displaceable by any key lever when the latter is moved to operated position, and means operated by the displacement of said universal member to connect said stop mover to said snatch roll for a resulting stroke of said mover to move the selected stop blade by means of its spur to carriage-intercepting position.

7. A tabulating mechanism for a typing machine carriage including, in combination, a series of denominational carriage-intercepting stop blades, a universal stop mover rockable about an axis paralleling the series of blades so that an edge of said mover describes a path, each stop blade having a spur and being normally positioned with said spur out of said path, stop-selecting key levers, each rockable to an operated position to move, and thereby select, the corresponding stop to bring its spur into said path, a power operable snatch roll, a universal member displaceable by any key lever when the latter is moved to operated position, means operated by the displacement of said universal member to connect said stop mover to said snatch roll for a resulting stroke of said mover to move the selected stop blade by means of its spur to carriageintercepting position, means automatically disconnecting said mover from said snatch roll at the end of said stroke whereupon said mover and stop tend to return to normal positions, and means controlled by the displaced universal member to sustain said mover to prevent its return so long as the key lever is held in operated position.

8. In a typewriting machine having a tabulating carriage, the combination of a key, a carriage-intercepting stop having a spur, a mover power-actuatable for moving said stop to carriage-intercepting position, said spur, in the normal position of said stop, being out of the path of said mover, and said stop being initially movable by said key to present said spur in the path of said mover, and means controlled by said key for sustaining said stop in carriage-intercepting position as long as said key is in operated position.

9. In a typewriting machine having a tabulating carriage, the combination of a carriageintercepting stop in the form of an elongate blade having a spur, and a mover power-actuatable to engage said spur to move said stop to carriage-intercepting position, said blade having a normal position in which its spur is out of the path of said mover and key-operated means to displace said blade from said normal position to bring its spur into the path of said mover.

10. In a typewriting machine having a tabulating carriage, the combination of a key, a carriage-intercepting stop in the form of an elongate blade, said blade having projeeting from one longitudinal edge thereof an arm presenting a hook-shaped spur offset from but pointed toward said edge, and a mover rockably disposed adjacent the corner formed by said edge and arm for engaging said spur and moving said stop from normal position to carriage-intercepting position, said spur, in the normal position of said stop, being out of the path of said mover, and said stop being initially movable by said key to present said spur in the path of said mover.

11, In a typewriter-carriage-tabulating mechanism, the combination of a series of denominational stop blades, a frame mounting said blades for individual movements to carriage-intercepting position, a rock shaft journaled in said frame and having a bar presenting a blade moving edge common to said blades, each blade having a spur engageable by said bar edge, the blades being normally disposed with their spurs out of the path of said edge, key operable levers operatively connected to the corresponding stop blades to move the latter selectively to bring their spurs into the path of said edge, a universal member movable by any one of said key levers, power operable means rendered effective, through the movement of said universal member, to rock said shaft and its bar in a stroke to move a selected blade to carriage-intercepting position, said shaft automatically becoming disconnected from said power means at the end of said stroke, and a latch device interlocking the shaft with the moved universal member at the end of said stroke to sustain said shaft to keep a blade in carriage-intercepting position as long as a key lever is held in operated position.

12. In a typewriting machine having a carriage; a tabulating mechanism therefor including, in combination, a carriage-intercepting stop carrying an element engageable for moving said stop from a normal carriage-clearing position to a carriage-intercepting position, a mover power operable in a path to move said stop by means of said engageable element, said engageable element in the normal position of said stop being out of said mover path, a key operable to primarily displace said stop and thereby cause its said element to become placed into the path of said mover, and means power-operable in response to said key to actuate said mover to move said stop to carriage-intercepting position by means of said element thus placed into the mover path.

13. A denominational-and-column tabulating mechanism for a typing machine carriage including, in combination, a series of denominational stops, a series of denominational keys each operatively connected to its corresponding stop for operating the latter, an extra key constituting a column-tabulating key, and means operatively connecting said column-tabulating key to one of said stops for operating the latter, said means including a universal member operatively connected to said column-tabulating key and having an edge universal to all of said stops, only said one stop having a formation engageable by said edge for operatively connecting said member and said one stop, said one stop being interchangeable with any other stop as to its position in said series whereby said stop is disposable at any desired denominational position in said series and is operable either by means of said extra key and member or by means of the key corresponding to the denominational position at which said one stop is disposed.

14. In a tabulating mechanism including a tabulatable carriage, the combination of a stop having an element engageable for moving said step to carriage-intercepting position, said stop being normally in a carriage-clearing position, a mover operable in a path to move said stop by means of said engageable element, said engageable element in the normal position of said stop being out of said mover path, a key operable to displace primarily said stop from said normal position and thereby place said element in the path of said mover, and power means cooperable with said mover to operate said mover to move said stop to carriage-intercepting position by means of said element thus placed into the mover path.

15. In a tabulating mechanism including a tabulatable carriage, the combination of a stop having an element engageable for moving said stop to carriage-intercepting position, said stop being normally in a carriage-clearing position, a mover operable in a path to move said stop by means of said engageable element, said engageable element in the normal position of said stop being out of said mover path, a key operable to displace primarily said stop from said normal position and thereby place said element in the path of said mover, power means cooperable with said mover to operate said mover to move said stop to carriage-intercepting position by means of said element thus placed into the mover path, means for disengaging said mover from said power means when said stop has been moved thereby to carriage-intercepting position, said stop tending to return to normal position upon disengagement of said mover from said power means, and means controlled by said key to keep said stop in carriage-intercepting position, independently of said power means, as long as said key is kept in operated position.

16. In a carriage tabulating mechanism, the 

